January 25, 2002
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It‘s a challenge for most parents to meet the individual needs of all their children, and it’s an even greater challenge when one of those children has a disability. Don Meyer, founder of Sib Shops, will address “Sharing the Caring: Special Needs of Special Needs” during a coffee and conversation hour, Friday, Feb. 8.
The conversation will be held 9 a.m. in Room 241 John F. Kennedy Center/MRL Building on the Peabody College campus of Vanderbilt University.
Meyer established “Sib Shops,” a program with more than 200 locations nationwide to help give children an opportunity to discuss having a sibling with special needs. He also directs the Sibling Support Project, a program of The Arc of the United States, a national organization dedicated to assisting people with special needs and their families. He works to help kids be more comfortable with the complex range of feelings they may experience. If children without disabilities can understand the way they are affected by their sibling with a disability, Meyer believes that as adults they will be better caregivers.
Families, faculty, students and interested professionals are invited to engage in this conversation about the importance of sibling support and to explore ways to improve support in their communities.
The Kennedy Center Coffee and Conversation series, which is free and open to the public, is an opportunity to talk with leaders in the national disability community.
Contact: Jan Rosemergy, (615) 322-NEWS
jan.rosemergy@vanderbilt.edu